Antonio Conte rejects Real Madrid for Chelsea stay?

Italian manager Antonio Conte has reportedly knocked back advances from Real Madrid in order to prolong his Premier League stay with Chelsea.

The 48-year-old had been expected to leave Stamford Bridge following the Blues' fifth place finish in the top-flight but so far the club have not found a suitable replacement.

According to Gianluca di Marzio, Los Blancos are said to have approached Conte to become their next head coach but the Italian has declined the offer due to the concerns over the current playing squad.

As such, the Blues could keep hold of Conte for the upcoming campaign with the Italian seemingly reluctant to walk away from the final year of his contract without a hefty compensation.

Meanwhile, the European champions are yet to pursue a new manager following Zinedine Zidane's surprise exit and the likes of Mauricio Pochettino and Massimiliano Allegri are also said to have distanced themselves from the job.